Paris Holds The Key

His slender frame felt like iron inside its loose black covering. He showed no signs of haste, nor of fatigue, nor of any human feeling. His whole being expressed one thing: the will, and the power to work me evil.
–Robert W. Chambers, In the Court of the Dragon

Your pursuit of answers leads you across the sea A Phantom of Truth! The cursed play The King in Yellow was performed months ago, yet the strange happenings still persist, driving you to new vistas that have never been explored in Arkham Horror: The Card Game. Now, you leave Massachusetts behind for the glowing lights and alluring mysteries of Paris.

Bienvenue à Paris

The King in Yellow was performed at Arkham’s Ward Theatre months ago, but the strange happenings that accompany the cursed play have failed to cease. After all you have seen, you know that these are more than coincidences, and you fear that something far worse is on the horizon. So far in your investigation, you’ve delved into the archives of the Arkham Historical Society and explored the twisted halls of Arkham Asylum, but you're still coming up short on answers. Now, as you venture into A Phantom of Truth, you to leave your city behind in the hopes of saving it.

Arkham is not the first place that The King in Yellow has been performed. This madness has come from Europe’s cultural hub of Paris… and the only way to move your investigation forward is to explore the play’s past. You begin your excursions at the famous
Gare D'Orsay
(A Phantom of Truth, 214), and from there travel by Rail to various parts of the city in search of the play’s director, Nigel Engram. Surely the architect of this madness will hold the answers you seek. But time is of the essence. You can feel each day that something beyond all imagining approaches and every night you are tormented by dreams of Carcosa with its black stars, twin suns, shattered moons, and twisted spires.

Soon these visions begin to haunt your days as you see a terrible Omen of
Twin Suns
(A Phantom of Truth, 223). The implication of this event spoils what would otherwise be a lovely sunset. Whether you are able to decode the meaning of this vision will determine whether your investigation is able to progress. If you fail this test, you must either remove one doom from the current agenda or suffer horrors to make up for the Intellect you lack. As the answers to your questions surrounding the play and these dreams begin to unfold, will the omens cease, or will the truth break your mind altogether?

Ville des Lumières

The city of lights holds many dark secrets, and in the shadowed alleys of Paris, the creatures you thought you left behind in Arkham seem to have followed you. As you continue your investigation through the city, you may have to fight your way out of a sticky situation. In a desperate case against foreign monsters, you may be encouraged to make a true show of Spirit, crying
"I'll see you in hell!"
(A Phantom of Truth, 189). This brave, but perhaps foolish, move immediately defeats you and causes you to suffer physical trauma, but it brings your non-Elite enemies down with you.

Beyond the everyday madness you are depressingly used to, another danger awaits. A tall, pale stranger seems to be following your every move as you explore the city. The question remains as to whether this man is an indifferent or a malevolent being, but you have come too far to take chances. In these desperate times, you may be forced to abandon the rules of civility and take a
Cheap Shot
(A Phantom of Truth, 194), using your agility to help you land an attack. If you successfully execute this Trick, you can automatically evade your enemy and leave them in the dust.

But you are not alone in your quest. Paris holds just as many friends as it does enemies. Over the course of your investigation, you may find reason to call upon locals such as
Madame Labranche
(A Phantom of Truth, 198) for assistance. As your mysterious benefactress, this Parisian lady may exhaust her ally card to enable you to draw a card when you have none. Or, if you are completely destitute after your trip abroad, you may exhaust her card to gain a resource. These favors should not be called upon lightly, but should you find yourself in dire straits, this could be the edge you need to keep your search for answers going.

In A Phantom of Truth, you become a stranger in a strange land in what you begin to suspect is not only a foreign country, but a foreign world entirely. You may feel yourself drawn across the city by some malevolent force, as if the choices you make are not your own, and the line separating sanity from madness begins to blur.

Don’t get lost.

Qui Vivra Verra

Journey across the sea to the city of lights. Explore Paris, find Nigel Engram, and get some answers even if they only hold A Phantom of Truth!

Pick up A Phantom of Truth (AHC14) at your local retailer or on the Fantasy Flight Games website here today!

Arkham Horror: The Card Game is a cooperative Living Card Game® set amid a backdrop of Lovecraftian horror. As the Ancient Ones seek entry to our world, one to two investigators (or up to four with two Core Sets) work to unravel arcane mysteries and conspiracies.